Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Restricted Stock Units

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Restricted Stock Units
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2024
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Restricted Stock Units Stock Options
On September 1, 2020, the Company adopted the Kartoon Studios, Inc. 2020 Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”) as voted by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors approved the maximum number of shares available for issuance up to an aggregate of 3,000,000 shares of common stock, which does not include shares that the Company may issue related to acquisitions. On May 23, 2024, the Board of Directors approved the maximum number of shares available for issuance up to an aggregate of 5,000,000 shares from 3,000,000 shares of common stock in the initial 2020 Plan. The 2020 Plan replaced the previously adopted 2015 Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) that had a total number of authorized shares of 216,767, however the remaining 12,000 outstanding shares granted under the 2015 Plan, as of June 30, 2024, remain to be governed under such plan. All expired or terminated shares granted under the 2015 Plan, that have not been vested or exercised, reverts to and again becomes available for issuance under the 2020 Plan.
During the six months ended June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the Company granted options to purchase 35,000 and no options, respectively. The 35,000 options to purchase common stock had a weighted-average grant date fair market value of $24,210. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, upon termination of certain employees, the Company accelerated the vesting of any unvested options held by the employees pursuant to their employment agreements. This resulted in 55,816 options becoming immediately vested on the separation date and $0.1 million in expense recognized by the Company.
The fair value of the options granted during the six months ended June 30, 2024 were calculated using the Black-Scholes Merton (“BSM”) option pricing model based on the following assumptions:
Exercise Price $ 0.95 
Dividend Yield –  %
Volatility 92.1  %
Risk-free interest rate 4.3  %
Expected life of options 5.0 years
The following table summarizes the Company’s option activity:
Stock Options Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life Weighted-Average Exercise Price per Share
Outstanding at December 31, 2023 1,183,908 5.56 $ 14.96 
Granted 35,000 4.97 $ 0.95 
Exercised $ – 
Forfeited/Cancelled (254,302) $ 21.00 
Expired (5,800) $ 19.90 
Outstanding at June 30, 2024 958,806 5.27 $ 12.81 
Unvested at June 30, 2024 107,349 4.48 $ 4.40 
Vested and exercisable at June 30, 2024 851,457 5.37 $ 13.87 
During the three months ended June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the Company recognized $40,317 and $0.3 million, respectively, in share-based compensation expense related to stock options. During the six months ended June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the Company recognized $0.1 million and $0.7 million, respectively, in share-based compensation expense related to stock options.. Share-based compensation expense is included in General and Administrative Expense on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The unrecognized share-based compensation expense at June 30, 2024 was $0.1 million which will be recognized through the second quarter of 2025 assuming the underlying grants are not cancelled or forfeited. The outstanding shares as of June 30, 2024 had an aggregated intrinsic value of zeroRestricted Stock Units
Restricted stock units (“RSUs”) are granted under the Company’s 2020 Plan. During the six months ended June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the Company granted 194,680 and 34,431 fully vested RSUs to the Company’s board members and consultants, with a fair market value of $0.2 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
An aggregate of 215,773 shares of common stock were issued during the six months ended June 30, 2024 as a result of RSUs vested during the current and prior periods.
The following table summarizes the Company’s RSU activity:
Restricted Stock Units Weighted-
Average Grant Date Fair Value per Share
Unvested at December 31, 2023 982,625 $ 13.42 
Granted 194,680 $ 1.23 
Vested (199,805) $ 1.65 
Forfeited $ – 
Unvested at June 30, 2024 977,500 $ 13.35 
During the three months ended June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the Company recognized $0.1 million and $0.4 million, respectively, in share-based compensation expense related to RSUs. During the six months ended June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the Company recognized $0.3 million and $0.9 million, respectively, in share-based compensation expense related to RSU awards included in General and Administrative Expense on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The unvested share-based compensation as of June 30, 2024 was $0.2 million which will be recognized through the fourth quarter of 2026 assuming the underlying grants are not cancelled or forfeited. The total fair value of shares vested during the six months ended June 30, 2024 was $0.3 million.